Laurie Jervis: Kaena Wines Donating All Proceeds From Rosé Wine Sales to Feed the People Maui

Jun 28, 2023

Mikael and Sally Sigouin, owners and winemakers of Kaena Wines, are donating 100% of the sale proceeds from one of their current releases to @chefhui — Feed the People Maui, a grassroots group of island chefs teaming to feed residents displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfire that devasted the historic town of Lahaina on Maui.

While the official death count in the fire’s wake is 115, up to 1,100 people remain unaccounted for, according to news reports.

The wine is the Sigouins’ 2022 Mourvèdre Rosé, and just 100 cases were made, Mikael Sigouin said.

“We made our first donation of $1,000 to Chef Hui Tuesday from the three cases of Mourvèdre Rose we sold over the weekend,” he noted in a Wednesday email.

Of the 100 cases produced, he said he has about 80 cases left to sell for Maui. The wine retails for $35 per bottle or $420 per case, plus tax.

“We believe in supporting grassroots local charities with locals helping locals, who best know where the community is hurting and what they need most. Maui’s signature color is pink for the native rose that grows there. I thought it would be fitting to use my special 2022 Mourvèdre Rose I made to raise funds for the organization,” he noted.

“All in all with proceeds, we can raise more than $25,000 to help the people of Maui. We have a lot of friends in the restaurant community who have lost everything.”

Mikael Sigouin, known throughout the wine industry as “the grenache king” for his devotion to that red Rhone grape varietal, is part Hawaiian and a native of Kuli’ou’ou on Oahu. His signature greeting of “aloha” is well known throughout the winemaking community.

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Kaena is a shortened version of his given name and means “potential for greatness.” Kaena Wines’ annual case production is about 2,000.

Chef Hui is partnering with the University of Hawaii, the Maui College Culinary Arts Program, World Central Kitchen, Common Ground Collective, and various local chefs and community leaders to coordinate, cook and distribute meals across Maui.

Chef Hui is averaging production of between 8,000 and 10,000 meals per day at the university’s Culinary Arts Programs facilities.

Restaurant-quality meals are prepared for same-day delivery to shelters and community members in need. The culinary team is also preparing meals to be frozen and stored for later use, as food likely will remain in demand through at least year’s end, according to chefhui.com.

Mikael and Sally Sigouin, residents of Ballard and parents of two, founded Kaena Wines in 2001. They have two locations to taste and purchase wines: at 2890 Grand Ave. in Los Olivos and 800 E. Highway 246 at “The Ranch” between Solvang and Buellton.

For more information and hours, visit kaenawine.com/ or email [email protected].

Laurie Jervis can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are her own.